Swine flu still with us

Last fall we encouraged you to get the swine flu vaccine since an epidemic appeared to be on the way. Well, we haven’t heard much about the H1N1 virus lately, but the best figures are that 57 million Americans – or 18% of the population – have suffered from the illness since last April.

More than a quarter of a million Americans have been hospitalized due to swine flu. About 11,700 have died – mostly younger people without any natural immunity, as originally feared.

Some 70 million people were vaccinated against the virus, or the death count and hospitalization numbers would no doubt be higher.

Another wave of the swine flu is predicted this spring, though it should be smaller than in the fall. You can expect that the H1N1 virus will be with us into the future. The vaccine may be added to the seasonal flu vaccine mix this year.

While it appears that the danger from swine flu is reduced, we still encourage you to take precautions and not rely on your luck.